SCAMS: How I recognized I was in a scam (part 2)

How to recognize that an email sender may be a potential scam:

1. The email source/address:
   Examine the two images below to see how you can identify the possibility of trouble.

   In the first, opening the email to view the message, safe procedure, indicates that the sender is a ‘very strange address’…do not proceed with the email. Archive or delete it, depending what you do with your email messages.
   

   In the second message, examine the name of the person. If you don’t know the sender or have doubts about that sender, again archive or delete the message:

   

2. Examine the message in general. Look for grammar errors, spelling mistakes, awkward phrasing…such things should tell you there is something wrong with the message. In the image below from an application which I use, the message looked very authentic:

   

3. Where I made my mistake:
   I had my suspicions about the email at the start, but this particular message passed all the criteria: grammar, spelling, authentic looking logo, appropriate colours but I went on with my mistake. I used the phone number.
   No, no, no, no….the phone number was within the message. It would not have been authentic or safe. My inexperience showed. I called.

   The accent I heard, Indian or Pakistani, should have rang loud alarm bells. India and Pakistan are renowned and well-known as having very active scam centers. Be weary if you hear and recognize this kind of accent.

   The last straw was when this caller with access to remote control of my computer, asked me to open my financial institution and I opened my password manager to get the password to it but the alarm bells were ringing so loudly, I closed everything and shut off my computer. Too late, I had already exposed my password manager with access to all my passwords to this scammer.

4. Repair and recovery
   I restarted my computer and began repair by contacting my password manager company to change my master password and their advice.

   A week later, I am still in repair/recovery mode as each credit card account is examined, tested, balance confirmed and new password created. Tedious labour, but essential for each financial account, one by one.

Big lesson learned the hard way and the repercussions are still being dealt with.

The silver lining: I  have learned more about scams and repair/recovery if affected by one.